Lithuania: Smuggled Cigarettes via Balloons Disrupt Vilnius Airport Flights

Lithuania: Balloons used to transport smuggled cigarettes from Belarus disrupted flights at Vilnius Airport.

According to the National Crisis Management Center, flights at Vilnius Airport were disrupted from 22:15 on Saturday until 04:40 on Sunday. Approximately 30 flights were delayed, canceled, or had to land elsewhere.

Around 25 balloons violated Lithuanian airspace, with 11 of them found loaded with packages of smuggled cigarettes. Smugglers use meteorological balloons to transport Belarusian cigarettes to the European Union, where tobacco is more expensive.

Lithuania has recorded 966 such balloons entering the country last year and 544 this year. Border guards have had the right to shoot down the balloons since 2024.

An official stated that the use of unmanned aircraft and meteorological balloons by smugglers is considered a criminal activity.